Hello and Happy New Year!

Duke Dillard

May you experience deep intimacy with Jesus this year and may you find joy in your role in seeing his kingdom come to all peoples. 
Hello, I’m Duke Dillard, the new editor of MF. I am glad to be here and thankful for you. Let me introduce myself for those of you who don’t know me. For the past five years I have been living in Denton, Texas, USA, with my wife, Laurie, and some of our children. Our seven children range in age from 16–27, and our second grandson is due in February.

Seven Facts About Migration

T.V. Thomas

It seems that the world’s population is on the move! Nowhere is this more showcased than at an international airport on any given day.
Migration is not new. It has been part of the human story from the dawn of civilization. Venturesome individuals, hunter- gatherers, nomadic tribes, enterprising traders, and conquering armies have traversed the globe for millennia. In 1960, international immigrants made up 2.6% of the world’s population, but by 2023, it was 3.5%. This means that there are more people living outside their homeland than at any time in history, and there is no sign of this recent mobility trend slowing down.

Empowering the Majority World Christian Diaspora for Missions

John F. Baxter

What if everyone in the world knew a genuine Christ follower who could communicate the gospel? The migration of Christians finding work in under-evangelized regions is a big step in that direction. Millions of ordinary Christians from Majority World churches are finding employment around the globe. They have access to millions from unreached lands who are also in the economic diaspora, as well as to the peoples of the host countries.

People on the Move: Contextual Realities and Missional Opportunities in Asia

Terry C. Casino

For centuries, the Asian continent has been a fertile ground for migration and diasporic movements. Asians move within, across, and beyond the continent; they are no strangers to border-crossing and scattering geographically. Some movements are voluntary, while others are forced; some are planned, others are random. These dispersions create new socio-economic spaces that challenge traditional religious, cultural, historical, and political landscapes.

Recent African Migration (Diaspora) & Christianity

Bulus Galadima, PhD

The migration of people is as old as humanity. When I was growing up in Africa, my people told their stories in relation to the ethnic groups around us. From childhood, we were told the stories of where our people came from and what ethnic groups our relatives were. This movement of people is called diaspora in Christian literature.

Migration, Mission, and Contextualization: Sharing the Gospel with the Filipino Diaspora in Canada

Dr. Nestor Abdon

The importance of contextualization cannot be ignored in sharing the gospel as it enables the church to grow in a specific context. Nowhere is this displayed and modeled more than in Jesus’s incarnation. “The incarnation of Jesus serves as a key paradigm for a contextualized mission and theology.”1

Global Gateway Cities in Canada as Diaspora Epicenter

Christopher Carr

The Bible is full of stories, starting with Genesis, that show the sovereignty of God at work as he moves the chess pieces of human history to position individuals, families, clans, and sometimes entire people groups in new geographic locations to expose them to the good news of his kingdom and invite them into it. The Old and New Testaments abound with examples of people group migrations resulting in diasporas, both willing and forced. These migrations and displacements have led directly to urbanization and a phenomenon that we in Canada call global gateway cities.

People on the Move, God at Work through North America

Bud Houston

Throughout history, people have been on the move—driven by the search for new opportunities, fleeing conflicts and disasters, or simply seeking a better life. North America has become a key destination for these migrants, presenting unique opportunities for cross-cultural church planting.

As You Are Going

Dion Peachey

Panta ta ethne has been echoing so much in mission publications that one might believe that the phrase has been adopted into the English language. While our focus on every ethnicity and people group is certainly needed for the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, what about our poreuthentes to obey the Great Commission?

24:14 Goal: The Importance and Complications of Polycentric Mission

Justin Long

In September 2024, YWAM (Youth With A Mission) convened a gathering of 4,500 folks from 110 nations. The article “The Great Transition”1 cites this encouraging event as emblematic of the dynamic growth and vitality of the Majority World church. The now-common phrase “from everywhere to everywhere” describes what has more recently been termed “polycentric mission.”

How to Multiply Rabbits Without Killing the Elephants

Cynthia Anderson

Anyone who has been around disciple making movements (DMMs) and church planting movements (CPMs) will have heard the rabbit and elephant metaphor. It’s a classic illustration of how some animals are big and beautiful but only have limited reproduction. Others are small, nothing special to look at, but multiply rapidly, even into the thousands within a few years. It’s an apt and effective illustration for the goal of multiplication and catalyzing movements to Christ.